Vol. 81, No. 14, October 3, 1975. 4 pages. View this issue
Farm labor led this four-page issue. Nisei farm leader Hirasuna criticized United Farm Workers tactics and urged California to reconsider rules that favor unions, and the Tri-District Conference coverage carried the Nisei Farmers League’s concerns about the state farm labor law. Also on the front page, several hundred Japanese Americans made the first organized pilgrimage to the former Poston WRA Center in Arizona, with a memorial service and films on the World War II incarceration (often called internment). Bill Hosokawa’s column reported on John Dean’s speech to a JACL audience in Anaheim about redress.
Other items include an editorial on the Emperor and Empress of Japan beginning a two-week visit to the United States, and a Chicago reader’s letter from Mary L. Okumura on whether the camps should be called concentration camps. News briefs cover the 100,000th Indochinese refugee resettled in the U.S., plans for a new office and shop complex in Little Tokyo, and a review by Kate Kunitsugu of Frank Chin’s play The Chickencoop Chinaman.
What’s in this issue
National
- Nisei Farm Problems Aired, page 1. Nisei farm leader Hirasuna criticized United Farm Workers tactics, including the boycott, hiring hall control, and intimidation of growers. He argued that farm labor law and mechanization affect both growers and workers and urged the state to reconsider rules that favor unions.
- U.S. Resettles 100,000th Refugee, page 1. The Interagency Refugee Task Force announced that the 100,000th Indochinese refugee has been resettled in the U.S. at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. Remaining refugees at resettlement centers are expected to move to new homes by year’s end.
- Mineta Balks at Public Works Meeting to Allocate 4-Cent Federal Gas Tax, page 1. Rep. Norman Mineta co-sponsored a plan allowing states and urban areas to use highway trust funds for mass transit. The proposal competes with plans from President Ford and senior House members favoring highway spending.
- Voting Rights Act Impact in Hawaii May Affect Kauai Only, page 1. Rep. Patsy Mink reported the 1975 Voting Rights Act will likely affect only Kauai County among Hawaii’s counties. State elections officials raised questions about Filipino dialect ballots and election timing.
Incarceration & Redress
- Nikkei Back at Poston for Look, page 1. Several hundred Japanese Americans made the first organized pilgrimage to the former Poston WRA Center in Arizona during a weekend joined by Colorado River Indian tribes. The event included cultural exchanges, a memorial service, and films on the evacuation experience.
Community
- Judge Kanemoto Gracefully Accepts Criticism From Bar, page 1. Municipal Court Judge Wayne Kanemoto publicly apologized to San Jose lawyers after ranking near the bottom in a County Bar Association poll. He pledged to be less abrasive while maintaining an efficient court.
- Koi Kill Aftermath, page 1. Two San Jose parks employees reprimanded over the death of koi fish at the Japanese Friendship Gardens were cleared of wrongdoing. JACL had challenged the reprimand as premature, prejudicial, and exploitive.
- New Office-Shop Complex Planned in Little Tokyo, page 1. A survey of prospective tenant interests is being conducted for a new retail and office complex adjacent to the New Otani Hotel in Little Tokyo. The complex is expected to be ready for occupancy in late 1978.
- PC Board Recommendations, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific Citizen board met to review the paper’s business policy, advertising revenue, and appearance. Recommendations included studying rate increases, seeking an advertising manager, and strengthening cooperation with headquarters.
- Tri-District Conference Coverage, page 2. Coverage of the California JACL Tri-District Conference discusses Nisei Farmers League concerns over the state farm labor law and its access rule. Speakers also addressed reparations and other JACL policy matters.
- JACL Cultural Heritage Recipients for 1975, page 3. JACL’s four Japan Air Lines cultural heritage recipients attended summer sessions at Sophia University in Tokyo. They received certificates of merit at a farewell party.
- Nisei Geologist Views Oroville Area, page 3. State geologist Perry Amimoto discussed the continuing earthquake activity near Oroville. He reported dozens of aftershocks and noted the activity is unusual given historical patterns.
- United Crusade Opens, page 3. The annual United Crusade campaign began September 15 with a goal of $29.1 million. Asian American agencies, including the Chinatown Service Center, are among those supported.
- Haruo Muronaka Obituary, page 4. Haruo Muronaka, 72, a native of Kauai and longtime newspaperman with the Kashu Mainichi, died of a heart attack in Los Angeles. He had served as Japanese section editor since 1958.
Commentary
- Editorials: Emperor Hirohito Comes to U.S., page 2. The Emperor and Empress of Japan begin an official two-week visit to the United States, with stops including Los Angeles and Hawaii. The editorial notes JACL’s watchfulness over planned demonstrations and its view that Japanese Americans should act as Americans first.
- Scholarship, by Graycf Uyehara, page 2. A Philadelphia JACL member praises the editing of an article on the Majiu Uyesugi Memorial Scholarship and reflects on the importance of preserving Issei stories. She notes her Sansei children’s interest in family history.
- Concentration Camps, by Mary L. Okumura, page 2. A Chicago reader disagrees with Mark Peters’ view that the WWII camps should not be called concentration camps. She cites barbed wire, armed guards, and a shooting incident to argue the term is accurate.
- From the Frying Pan: John Dean, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Columnist Bill Hosokawa reports on Watergate figure John Dean’s speech to a JACL audience in Anaheim about redress. Hosokawa notes Dean’s view that redress is a mechanical problem and that its greatest value is public education.
Military & Veterans
- Army ROTC Pays, page 2. An Army ROTC recruitment advertisement promotes the program’s pay and career benefits. The notice invites students to request more information.
Arts & Entertainment
- ‘The Chickencoop Chinaman’, by Kate Kunitsugu, page 4. A reviewer discusses Frank Chin’s play, comparing his poetic language to Thomas Wolfe’s style. The review focuses on the play’s characters and themes of identity.
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